Bo'ness

Bo'ness is an industrial town in West Lothian in central Scotland, with a population of 15,400 in 2022. The main reason to visit is to ride the Bo'ness and Kinneil steam railway.

Understand

The town's full name is Borrowstounness, meaning "the headland near Beornweard's farmstead", but it's never called that. From medieval times coal-mining was its main industry, along with pottery, metal-working and ship-breaking, but the harbour became blighted as much by silting as by the decline of those industries. It's nowadays a suburb of the oil and gas town of Grangemouth, and a commuter town for Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Get in

Bo'ness is 15 miles (25 km) west of Edinburgh, from M9 exit at junction 3 onto A904 / A993.

Bus C19 runs from Edinburgh past the airport every 3 hours, taking an hour to Bo'ness. Bus 909 follows a similar route every couple of hours and continues via Grangemouth to Stirling.

It's often more convenient to travel to Falkirk then take Bus 2, which runs every 30 min via Grangemouth and takes 40 min. Otherwise travel to Linlithgow and take Bus 45 / 46, which orbits the area hourly.

The nearest railway stations are Falkirk and Linlithgow, on the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street. The branch line to Bo'ness is only used for heritage train excursions.

Get around

The town centre can easily be explored on foot. See above for buses to neighbouring towns.

Taxi firms are Bo'ness Taxi (+44 7511 710960) and Gordon's (☏ +44 1506 264242).

See

• 1 Museum of Scottish Railways, Union St EH51 9AQ, ☏ +44 1506 822298. Apr-Oct daily 11AM-4:30PM, Dec Sa Su. Extensive railway museum. They run trains (often steam-hauled) up the branch line past Grangemouth to the main line near Polmont. These trips used to take in the fire-clay mine at Birkhill but this has closed. Adult £7, train ride £16. (updated Oct 2024)
• Craigmailen Church is a Gothic building of 1883/5, older than the Old Kirk on Corbiehall, on Braehead south of Town Hall and Glebe Park. It remains active as a United Free church.
• 2 Kinneil Estate is a pleasant parkland off A904 at the west edge of town. Within it are:
  • Kinneil House, a mansion built 1677. This can only be visited on special tour days about once a month.
  • Kinneil Old Kirk, a 12th-century ruin.
  • The museum, in the stables, open W-M 12:30-4PM, free.
  • A Roman fortlet, the only remnant of the two dozen built along the Antonine Wall.
• 3 Bo'ness Motor Museum, Bridgeness Road EH51 9JR, ☏ +44 1506 827007. Apr-Oct M-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 11AM-4PM, Nov-Mar Sa Su 11AM-4PM. It's more about film and TV props than a vintage collection: cars include those graced by 007, Harry Potter and Thunderbirds. Adult £8, conc or child £6. (updated Oct 2024)

Do

Steaming out of Bo'ness

• Blackness Castle near Linlithgow is reached by walking east along the coast. This is part of the John Muir Way, which follows the Union Canal from Falkirk to Linlithgow then backtracks down to the coast at Bo'ness to hug the coast past the castle to South Queensferry and Edinburgh.
• Hippodrome Cinema, 10 Hope Street EH51 0AA, ☏ +44 1324 506850. Built in 1911 in "not-quite-Art Deco", it closed in 1980 but re-opened in 2009. (updated Oct 2024)
• Barony Theatre is a mile south of town centre in a former primary school.
• Football: Bo'ness United play soccer in the Lowland League, the fifth tier, at Newtown Park half a mile south of town centre.
• Golf: West Lothian GC is off A706 two miles south of town.

Buy

• Supermarkets: Tesco and Lidl are near the docks, both open daily. Morrison's, Spar and Scotmid are a mile southwest.
• Inkspot & Silverleaf, 76 South St EH51 9HA, ☏ +44 1506 204450. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. Renowned independent booksellers. (updated Oct 2024)

Eat

• 1 Corvi's, 5 Seaview Place EH51 0AJ, ☏ +44 1506 822659. Tu-Sa noon-7PM. Traditional fish and chip shop with sit in area. Speciality is smoked fish in batter. (updated Oct 2024)
• Bo'ness Spice is an Indian at 61 South St, open W-M 4-10:30PM.
• Edinburgh Kitchens, 22 East Pier St EH51 9AB, ☏ +44 1506 822951. Daily 11:30AM-10PM. This is a branch of the Mosque Kitchen in Edinburgh, serving good inexpensive halal meals. (updated Oct 2024)
• 2 Corbie Inn, 84 Corbiehall EH51 0AS, ☏ +44 1506 825307. Su-Th noon-9PM, F Sa noon-11PM. Pub with large outdoor eating area. (updated Oct 2024)

Drink

Town Hall

• Anchor Tavern on North St is open daily 11AM-11PM.
• The Wee Wine Bar on South Street is open Su, Th noon-9PM, F Sa noon-11PM.

Sleep

• 1 Richmond Park Hotel, 26 Linlithgow Rd EH51 0DN, ☏ +44 1506 823213. Mid-range hotel, clean and friendly. B&B double £70. (updated Oct 2024)
• 2 Champany Inn, Linlithgow EH49 7LU, ☏ +44 1506 834532. Great reviews for comfort and cuisine at this 16-room hotel by M9 exit 3. (updated Oct 2024)
• And see Linlithgow, Falkirk and Grangemouth accommodation, for instance the Premier Inn at M9 jcn 5.

Connect

As of Oct 2024, Bo'ness and its approach roads have a basic mobile signal from EE and Three, 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from O2.

Go next

• Linlithgow three miles south has a ruined medieval palace.
• Follow the coast east past Blackness Castle to South Queensferry and into Edinburgh.
• West there's a lot of industry around Grangemouth and Falkirk, but plough on past that and you come to Stirling, a pocket-sized Edinburgh, and the Campsie Fells.